BBC News Briefing

16 January, 2025

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck.

Alex Binley

Hello. US officials say they're "confident" a Gaza ceasefire will go ahead. The assurance comes after an Israeli cabinet vote on it was delayed after Israel accused Hamas of trying to change the terms of the agreement, something Hamas denies. Elsewhere, my colleagues in the US hear from migrants who are polarised over Donald Trump's pledge to deport millions of undocumented people from the US. And finally, a grandmother from Wales has seen her wedding in colour, almost 60 years after it took place, thanks to the hard work of a stranger and social media.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

US 'confident' Gaza ceasefire will begin on Sunday, as Israeli cabinet yet to vote

A group of people are crouching down and crying. It appears that they are gathered around a body which cannot be seen in the image. In the foreground is a blue flak jacket which says 'press' on it

Dozens of people have been killed and scores wounded in the strikes. Credit: AFP

US officials say they are "confident" a Gaza ceasefire will go ahead as planned on Sunday, despite a delay in the Israeli cabinet's vote on the deal. Israel is accusing Hamas of backtracking on what the two sides agreed to on Wednesday, but Hamas denies this and is blaming the delay on internal Israeli politics. As international editor Jeremy Bowen notes, Israel's PM "has a serious political problem with hard-right parties in his coalition government" who are opposed to the deal. In a press conference late on Thursday, Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his party would quit the government coalition if a ceasefire deal were to go ahead, but would not seek to topple it. As the wait goes on, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the deal was announced on Wednesday. Meanwhile, aid trucks are queuing at the southern crossing into Gaza, aiming to enter as soon as the agreement comes into force.

Latest updates

GET UP TO SPEED

Mette Frederiksen stands in front of two flags, wearing a blue suit jacket. She is standing behind two microphones and her hands are raised as if she's talking. Her nails are painted dark red and she has light brown hair which is tied up

Greenland to decide future, Danish PM tells Trump

Trump sparked turmoil in Copenhagen and Greenland's capital when he signalled that the US wanted to acquire the island.

Latest in row >

The blackened rubble of a house is dominated by the brick chimney breast which is the only element still standing. Blackened palm trees can also be seen. In the background is the sea

Strong LA winds weaken, giving firefighters respite

The two largest fires are still burning after more than a week - but gusts that fanned the flames have eased.

Read more >

Suni Williams is wearing a blue spacesuit and has the helmet off her face. She has long, dark brown hair and is smiling

Nasa astronaut stuck in space ventures outside

A technical issue means that two astronauts on the ISS who were due to return to Earth in June are still there.

Watch the walk >

AT THE SCENE

McAllen, Texas and Chicago, Illinois

Immigrants divided as Trump deportations loom

A woman in a pink and black coat holds a small child's - who is wearing a blue coat - hand. The woman is pulling a large red suitcase and they are walking across an expanse of tarmac towards some tents in the background

Many migrants are watching carefully to see how the deportation plans play out. Credit: Getty Images

In just a few days' time, Donald Trump will re-enter the White House as US president, with the expulsion of millions of undocumented migrants one of his promised priorities. He's threatened workplace raids, and reports suggest that he could do away with a longstanding policy that has made churches off-limits for immigration arrests. Among the country's immigrant communities, there are differing takes on his impending inauguration.

Bernd Debusmann Jr and Mike Wendling, US reporters

"The 20th is going to be here before we know it," the Reverend Tanya Lozano-Washington tells her congregation in a mostly-Latino neighbourhood in Chicago. The church has been a long-time hub for pro-immigration activists in the city's large Hispanic community. According to one parishioner, American-born David Cruseno, "the threat is very real. It's very alive". Cruseno said his mother entered the country illegally from Mexico but has been working and paying taxes in the US for 30 years. "With the new administration coming in, it's almost like a persecution," he told the BBC.

‌

But across the country, in Texas, another mostly immigrant community close to the Mexican border has a very different take on the impending inauguration. "We live in a country of order and laws," said Demesio Guerrero, a naturalised US citizen originally from Mexico who lives in the town of Hidalgo, across the international bridge from the cartel-plagued Mexican city of Reynosa. "We have to be able [to say] who comes in and out," added Mr Guerrero. "Otherwise, this country is lost."

Keep reading

Immigration pledge explained: How would Trump’s promise of mass deportations of migrants work?

Checking the figures: Trump's incoming border tsar says 300,000 migrant children in the US can't be found. Does that claim stack up?

A pontoon overlooks calm blue waters off the island of Naoshima. A larger-than-life-sized yellow and black pumpkim is placed over the pontoon.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Top places to travel in 2025

These 25 destinations are making travel better right now.

See the list

And finally... in Wales

A 79-year-old woman is reliving her October 1966 wedding day after being reunited with unseen footage. A film student who purchased the reel and digitised it used the power of social media to return the video to its rightful owner. Beryl Davies said she only had one wedding photo in colour, so "the colours of the day were absolutely gorgeous to see". You can see them, too.

Health Fix Newsletter

Trusted insights for better health and wellbeing rooted in science, every Wednesday to your inbox.

Subscribe here

MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS

US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the US presidential election and its global impact, every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe.

World of Business: Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday. Subscribe.

The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe.

Thank you, as ever, for reading. Send us suggestions for topics or areas of the world to cover in this newsletter. Tell your friends and family about it! They can sign up here. You can take a look at all our newsletters here.

By the way, you can add newsbriefing@email.bbc.com to your contacts list and, if you're on Gmail, pop the email into your “Primary” tab for uninterrupted service. Thanks for reading!

– Alex

You've received this email because you've signed up to the BBC News Briefing newsletter.

Click here to unsubscribe

To find out how we use your data, see the BBC Privacy Policy.

BBC Studios Distribution Limited.

Registered Number: 01420028 England

Registered office: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, W12 7FA, United Kingdom